The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-05-05


another in presentin
things for our diversions. One instanc
that came across yesterday was pair o
shoes. They stood on merchants coun
ter, and, taking them up, found that the
were singularly weighted. In each toe wa
a slip OF lead, like those sometimes put O,
trotting horses to make them throw on
their feet freely, while on the insides O
the ankles were small hunks of leather
similar to the devices for curing horse
OF the habit of interfering" The mer
chant said: "The girl for whom mad
those shoes to order expects that the,
will improve her gait. She has studied
the treatment of horses as to faults O
steps, and her notion is that toe e-weight.
and lnterferers are what will impart 8
freedom and springiness to her walk" O.
course, he lied; but he had contriyed tt
divert me, to show me something that
would be sure to speak of among m,
friends, and so his purpose was ac.
complished.
A firm of London tailors for women
has New York establishment. The
evidences are many that they have reck.
oned on taking very profitable advantage
OF the Anglomania among our women OF
fashion and wealth, for they take especial
pains to announce their employment at
home by aristocrats. A feature of the
establishment is the exhibition of gar
ments on living models-not pretty girls
hired for the service, but genuine English
beauties, imported SO freshly that their
London accent is not yet in the slightest
degree impaired. There are fifteen of
them, and all young, with handsome
faces and slender, 1.-THE, shapely figures,
on which the clothes are displayed to the
best possible advantage. They chat
agreeably with the crowd of shoppers,
strike effective attitudes, and walk about
with gait presumably that of the most
approved London bellies.
But there is a still more remarkable de-
vice for catching the fancy of New York
wearers Of fashionable garments. In the
center OF one room stands hobby horse.
as big as life, covered with real equine
skin and supported in such way on
in motion. The sides of the apartments
are mirrors. This is the department for
riding habits. The woman who seeks a
new costume for equestrianism is asked
to select several models, and these she
may test as to effect by donning them.
taking seat on the back of the imitation
steed and contemplating herself in the
mirrors while in the saddle In case she
doesn't care to mount the hobby horse
herself one of the imported girls CORE
spending most nearly to her size and
shape performs the feat.
Women make laborious matter of
shopping, and an expensive one, too, be-
yond a doubt. When the young husband
sees his bride at the breakfast table, be-
fore time enough has elapsed since their
honeymoon to temper his sentiments
with common sense, he regards her white
sacque-as a natural attribute to her love-
liness-as something that kind of grew
on her all of itself like the leaf of a lily,
Well, it didn't. She toddled around town
The whole afternoon to get the materials.
The cloth is cream-white orient flannel
from Broadway. The principal trimming
is white lace, in frills and jabots, and no
one but herself knows how many stores
she went into before finding perfect
match over in Sixth avenue. The EN-.
enlistment of lOng-looped satin ribbon
represents another prolonged tour, end
ing in success down in Fourteenth street,
That is how a single breakfast sacque
was gotten together, and it may be dimly
imagined how much greater is the under
taking when 1t contemplates an elaborate
toilet.
A man is of no account in the shop
ping region, and indeed is seldom seen,
except behind a counter. And if he
ventures into dry goods store, 1t re-
qulres all his nerve to sustain him. Be-
sides being focus for hundreds of
bright eyes, under which he will grow
tremulously apprehensive that his neck
tie Is awry, or his hat indented, or his
race dirty, he finds himself suddenly
thrown among things which, if unmar-
ried, he ought to know nothing about
Ills hat comes in contact with bustles
hung overhead, he is confronted with
arrays of feminine underwear, plaster
hgures wearing corsets meet his abashed |
gaze, and hosiery dances like a phantom |
ballet before his dazed vision.
Odd incidents break the monotony of |
shopping. Most demure of shoppers |
was the girl whom / saw in one of the
arge stores trying on an ulster. Sud- |
lenly an employee snatched the garment
)n her shoulders and commanded her to :
90 out. She insisted that she wanted to
1uy the cloak, but was rudely expelled.
This was because she was taken for an
of rival dealers, and was sup
oosed to have come as spy to learn
prices and qualities. They made a mis-
AXE, however, and the consequence is a
'uit for damages. A manager of large
tells me that nearly every
irm in the fancy and dry goods lines
Employs woman to make rounds of the
torres in the guise of an ordinary shop-
yer in order to collect information. Her
eports serve as guide for the raising
n the lowering of prices. If she finds
hat competitor has marked down lot
4 calico, for instance, her EMPLOYER will
lther make still lower reduction OF
meet this particular point of opposition
y throwing some similar line Of goods
N his bargain counter. The rivalry is
uch and the trade SO divided that some
ines hundreds of dollars will be delib-
rately sacrificed in day by selling in
ertain departments below cost for the
AXE of OutdOing the merchant on the
ext block. There is no longer one es-
ablishment possessing any monopoly of
ashionable patronage. Not even is il
ny social misdemeanor for Fifth
Broadway.
The current excitement for women who
NV hOWpvQr ia tho auo&;o,, .alo d. |